Some female hummingbirds don flashy feathers to avoid being bothered by other hummingbirds, a study suggests. NationalBirdDay
, social ranks and food . Mating choices don’t capture all those other interactions and can’t always explain animals’ looks, says Jay Falk, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
These birds develop the bright colors in their adolescence, when the birds aren’t yet looking for mates, and for some lady hummers, the colors persist into adulthood when most females drop the bright colors. If these colors in females were driven by mate choice, then this is “the exact opposite of what you would expect,” says Falk, who did the work while at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Gamboa.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fewer Female Directors On Top-Grossing Films In 2021After reaching new highs in 2020, the percentage of women directing top-grossing films declined in 2021, according to the Celluloid Ceiling Report from San Diego State University.
Read more »
Emotions fill City Hall as West Valley swears in its first female mayorAfter 20 years of being involved with municipal politics, and two unsuccessful mayoral campaigns, Karen Lang was sworn in as West Valley City's first female mayor.
Read more »
In a ‘milestone worth celebrating,’ Sandy swears in its first female mayorMonica Zoltanski makes history by being the first woman that has taken the oath as Sandy mayor.
Read more »
In a historic first, aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln deploys under command of female captainCapt. Amy Bauernschmidt, the commanding officer of the Lincoln, said her crew performed exceptionally during deployment work-ups.
Read more »
Light-colored feathers may help migrating birds stay cool on long flightsAnalysis of over 20,000 illustrations of birds reveals that migrating birds generally tend to have lighter-colored feathers than birds that stay put.
Read more »
Fanatics acquires Topps trading cardsSports e-commerce company Fanatics has acquired sports trading card company Topps, sources confirmed to CNBC.
Read more »